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Digital divide in India

| Governance | Mains Paper 2: Government Scheme/Policies

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Not Much

Mains level: Digital divide in India

The COVID-19 induced lockdown highlights India’s great digital divide.

Practice question for mains:

Q.What are the various facets of Digital Divide in India? Discuss how the Digital India initiative has impacted ruling out India’s digital divide?

What is Digital divide?

A digital divide is any uneven distribution in the access to, use of, or impact of information and communications technologies between any number of distinct groups, which can be defined based on social, geographical, or geopolitical criteria, or otherwise

What are the implications of the digital divide?

Political

In the age of social media, political empowerment and mobilization are difficult without digital connectivity.

Governance

Transparency and accountability are dependent on digital connectivity. The digital divide affects e-governance initiatives negatively.

Social

Internet penetration is associated with greater social progress of a nation. Thus digital divide in a way hinders the social progress of a country.

Rural India is suffering from information poverty due to the digital divide. It only strengthens the vicious cycle of poverty, deprivation, and backwardness.

Economic

The digital divide causes economic inequality between those who can afford the technology and those who don’t.

Educational

The digital divide is also impacting the capacity of children to learn and develop.
Without Internet access, students can not build the required tech skills.

Facets of the great Digital Divide in India

Education is just one area that has highlighted the digital divide between India’s rural and urban areas during the lockdown.
The trend is evident everywhere — telemedicine, banking, e-commerce, e-governance, all of which became accessible only via the internet during the lockdown.
The divide exists despite the rise in the number of wireless subscribers in India over the past few years.

1) Telecom facility, not digital progression

According to a report released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on June this year, the country had over 1,160 million wireless subscribers in February 2020, up from 1,010 million in February 2016.
This is a rise of 150 million subscribers in five years or 30 million per year.
The growth has been evenly distributed in urban and rural areas, with the number of urban subscribers increasing by 74 million (from 579 million to 643 million) and rural subscribers by 86 million (from 431 million to 517 million).
But this growth only indicates the rise in basic telecommunication facility.

2) The Urban-Rural Divide

Services such as online classrooms, financial transactions and e-governance require access to the internet as well as the ability to operate internet-enabled devices like phones, tablets and computers.
Here the urban-rural distinction is quite stark.
According to the NSSO conducted between July 2017 and June 2018, just 4.4 rural households have a computer, against 14.4 per cent in an urban area.
It had just 14.9 per cent rural households having access to the internet against 42 per cent households in urban areas.
Similarly, only 13 per cent people of over five years of age in rural areas have the ability to use the internet against 37 per cent in urban areas.

3) Regional Divide

States too greatly differ in terms of people that have access to computers or in the know-how to use the internet.
Himachal Pradesh leads the country in access to the internet in both, rural and urban areas.
Uttarakhand has the most number of computers in urban areas, while Kerala has the most number of computers in rural areas.
Overall, Kerala is the state where the difference between rural and urban areas is the least.

4) Digital Gender Divide

India has among the world’s highest gender gap in access to technology.
Only 21 per cent of women in India are mobile internet users, according to GSMA’s 2020 mobile gender gap report, while 42 per cent of men have access. The report says that while 79 per cent of men own a mobile phone in the country, the number for women is 63 per cent.
While there do economic barriers to girls’ own a mobile phone or laptop, cultural and social norms also play a major part.
The male-female gap in mobile use often exacerbates other inequalities for women, including access to information, economic opportunities, and networking.

5) Others

The earning member of the family has to carry the phone while going out to work.
Access to phones and the internet is not just an economic factor but also social and cultural.
If one family has just one phone, there is a good chance that the wife or the daughter will be the last one to use it.

Programmes for Addressing the Challenges in Bridging the Digital Divide:

India taking significant steps towards acquiring competence in information and technology, the country is increasingly getting divided between people who have access to technology and those who do not.

- The Indian government has passed Information Technology Act, 2000 to make to e- commerce and e-governance a success story in India along with national e-governance plan.
- Optical Fibre Network (NOF-N), a project aimed to ensure broadband connectivity to over two lakh (200,000) gram panchayats of India by 2016.
- Digital Mobile Library: In order to bridge the digital divide in a larger way the government of India, in collaboration with the Centre for Advanced Computing (C–DAC) based in Pune.
- Unnati, is a project of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) which strives to bridge the digital divide in schools by giving the rural students with poor economic and social background access to computer education.
- E-pathshala: to avail study materials for every rural and urban student.
- Common Service Centres: which enabled the digital reach to unreachable areas.

Initiatives of State Government:

Sourkaryan and E–Seva: Project of the government of Andhra Pradesh to provides the facility for a citizen to pay property taxes online.
The Gyandoot Project: It is the first ever project in India for a rural information network in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh which has the highest percentage of tribes and dense forest. The project was designed to extend the benefits of information technology to people in rural areas by directly linking the government and villagers through information kiosks

Way forward

1.Infrastructure

The promotion of indigenous ICT development under Atmanirbhar Abhiyan can play a significant role. The promotion of budget mobile phones is the key.
The creation of market competition between service providers may make services cheaper.
Efficient spectrum allocation in large contiguous blocks should be
explored.
We should also explore migration to new technologies like 5G. It would resolve some of the bandwidth challenges.

2.Digital literacy

Digital literacy needs special attention at the school / college level.
The National Digital Literacy Mission should focus on introducing digital literacy at the primary school level in all government schools for basic content and in higher classes and colleges for advanced content.
When these students will educate their family members, it will create multiplier effects. Higher digital literacy will also increase the adoption of computer hardware across the country.

3.Language

State governments should pay particular attention to content creation in the Indian regional languages, particularly those related to government services.
Natural language processing ( NLP) in Indian languages needs to be promoted.

4.Role of regulators

Regulators should minimize entry barriers by reforming licensing, taxation, spectrum allocation norms.
TRAI should consider putting in place a credible system. This system will track call drops, weak signals, and outages. It ensures the quality and reliability of telecom services.

5.Cybersecurity

MeitY will need to evolve a comprehensive cybersecurity framework for data security, safe digital transactions, and complaint redressal.

Telecom ombudsman

The government should also set up telecom ombudsman for the redress of grievances.

Conclusion

The Standing Committee on Information Technology in January 2019 concluded that the digital literacy efforts of the government are far from satisfactory.
Clearly, internet penetration is not deep enough. At one level, we all recognise that the internet has become indispensable.
On another level, it still doesn’t have adequate attention of the decision-makers.
The most crucial need of the hour is to ensure uninterrupted internet services.

Back2Basics: Digital India Initiatives

Over the past decade, governments have been trying to improve internet access in the country.
In 2011, the BharatNet project was launched to connect 0.25 million panchayats through an optical fibre (100 MBPS) and connect India’s villages. Its implementation began only in 2014.
In 2014, the government launched the National Digital Literacy Mission and the Digital Saksharta Abhiyan.
In 2015, the government launched several schemes under its Digital India campaign to connect the entire country.
This includes the PM Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan, launched in 2017, to usher in digital literacy in rural India by covering 60 million households.

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Electronic System Design and Manufacturing Sector – M-SIPS, National Policy on Electronics, etc.

Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for electronics manufacturers

Explained Schemes | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Effects Of Liberalization On The Economy, Changes In Industrial Policy and their effects on Industrial Growth

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI)

Mains level: Electronic manufacturing promotion under Make in India

Global electronics giants are set to expand their presence in India under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for making mobile phones and certain other specified electronic components.

Try this question for mains:

Q. What is the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme? Describe its various features and benefits.

What is the PLI scheme?

As a part of the National Policy on Electronics, the IT ministry had notified the PLI scheme on April 1 this year.
The scheme will, on one hand, attract big foreign investment in the sector, while also encouraging domestic mobile phone makers to expand their units and presence in India.
It would give incentives of 4-6 per cent to electronics companies which manufacture mobile phones and other electronic components.
A/c to the scheme, companies that make mobile phones which sell for Rs 15,000 or more will get an incentive of up to 6 per cent on incremental sales of all such mobile phones made in India.
In the same category, companies which are owned by Indian nationals and make such mobile phones, the incentive has been kept at Rs 200 crore for the next four years.

Tenure of the scheme

The PLI scheme will be active for five years with financial year (FY) 2019-20 considered as the base year for calculation of incentives.
This means that all investments and incremental sales registered after FY20 shall be taken into account while computing the incentive to be given to each company.

Which companies and what kind of investments will be considered?

All electronic manufacturing companies which are either Indian or have a registered unit in India will be eligible to apply for the scheme.
These companies can either create a new unit or seek incentives for their existing units from one or more locations in India.
Any additional expenditure incurred on the plant, machinery, equipment, research and development and transfer of technology for the manufacture of mobile phones and related electronic items will be eligible for the incentive.
However, all investment done by companies on land and buildings for the project will not be considered for any incentives or determine the eligibility of the scheme.

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Modern Indian History-Events and Personalities

What is the Gandhi-King Initiative?

| | Mains Paper 1: Modern Indian History

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi in India's freedom struggle

Mains level: World History: American Civil Rights Movement

A Bill to promote Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr’s legacies has been passed in American Senate.

Practice question for mains:

Q. Discuss how the civil rights movement in America is paralleled by India’s freedom struggle under Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhi-King Initiative

The initiative is an exchange program between India and the U.S. to study the work and legacies of Gandhiji and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
It will establish annual scholar and student exchange programs for Indians and Americans to study the leaders’ legacies and visit historic sites in India and the U.S.
The visits will be relevant to India’s freedom struggle and the U.S.’s civil rights movement.

Gandhi-King Global Academy

The bill also seeks to establish the Gandhi-King Global Academy, a conflict resolution initiative based on the principles of nonviolence.
It proposes the establishment of the United States-India Gandhi-King Development Foundation set up by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the GoI, organized under Indian law.
The Foundation, which has a proposed budget authorized of up to $ 30 million per year for five years through 2025.
It is tasked with administering grants to NGOs that work in health, pollution and climate change, education and empowerment of women.

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Social Media: Prospect and Challenges

Turkey enacts Social Media Law

| Security Issues | Mains Paper 3: Social Media Networks & Internal Security

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: NA

Mains level: Need for social media regulation

Turkey’s parliament approved a law that gives authorities greater power to regulate social media despite concerns of growing censorship.

Unregulated social media promotes misinformation, hate speech, defamation, and threats to public order, terrorist incitement, bullying, and anti-national activities.

Turkey: The forerunner of cyber policing

Turkey leads the world in removal requests to Twitter, with more than 6,000 demands in the first half of 2019.
More than 408,000 websites are blocked in Turkey, according to The Freedom of Expression Association.
Online encyclopedia Wikipedia was blocked for nearly three years before Turkey’s top court ruled that the ban violated the right to freedom of expression and ordered it unblocked.
The country also has one of the world’s highest rates of imprisoned journalists, many of whom were arrested in a crackdown following a failed coup in 2016.

Features of the Law:

1) Appointing representatives:

The law requires major social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to keep representative offices in Turkey to deal with complaints against content on their platforms.
If the social media company refuses to designate an official representative, the legislation mandates steep fines, advertising bans and bandwidth reductions.

2) Bandwidth reductions

Bandwidth reductions mean social media networks would be too slow to use.
With a court ruling, bandwidth would be reduced by 50% and then by 50% to 90%.

3) Privacy protection

The representative will be tasked with responding to individual requests to take down content violating privacy and personal rights within 48 hours or to provide grounds for rejection.
The company would be held liable for damages if the content is not removed or blocked within 24 hours.

4) Data storage

A most alarming feature of the new legislation is that SM companies would require social media providers to store user data in Turkey.
The government says the legislation was needed to combat cybercrime and protect users.
This would be used to remove posts that contain cyberbullying and insults against women.

Turkey seems to have given an attempt to regulate social media amidst the chaos. It lags on various fronts, making it realizable for India not to go hastily for such a regulation.

Concerns over the law

Hundreds of people have been investigated and some arrested over social media posts.
The opposition is pointing that the law would further limit freedom of expression in a country where the media is already under tight government control and dozens of journalists are in jail.

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Innovation Ecosystem in India

[pib] Atal Innovation Mission launches ‘AIM-iCREST’

PIB | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: AIM-iCREST

Mains level: Innovation ecosystem in India

NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), has launched AIM iCREST – an Incubator Capabilities enhancement program for a Robust Ecosystem, focused on creating high performing Startups.

Note the following things about AIM-iCREST

1) Meaning of the acronym as it gives the central idea of the initiative

2) Aims and objective

3) Technological partners

AIM-iCREST

AIM iCREST, as the name suggests, has been designed to enable the incubation ecosystem and act as a growth hack for AIM’s Atal and Established incubators across the country.
Under the initiative, the AIM’s incubators are set to be upscaled and provided requisite support to foster the incubation enterprise economy that will help them to significantly enhance their performance.
This will be complemented by providing training to entrepreneurs, through technology-driven processes and platforms.
The program aims at going beyond incubator capacity building. This is a first of its kind initiative for advancing innovation at scale in India.

Various partners

AIM has joined hands with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wadhwani Foundation – organizations that can lend credible support and expertise in the entrepreneurship and innovation space.
These partnerships will provide global expertise and showcase proven best practices to the AIM’s incubator network.

An initiative for incubators

India needs world-class incubators fostering world-class startups leveraging the tremendous innovation talent of our country.
For the first time in the Government, the Incubator capacity development program is being extended to the entire portfolio of supported Atal incubators.
This programme is unique also in its design – it is a combination of interactive practices in the field of incubation; enabling the incubators to support sustainable and successful startups.

Back2Basics: Atal Innovation Mission

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is NITI Aayog’s flagship initiative to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in India
AIM has been established to create and promote an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship in a holistic manner through various initiatives at school, university and industry levels
The Atal Innovation Mission has thus two core functions:

Innovation promotion: to provide a platform where innovative ideas are generated.
Entrepreneurship promotion: Wherein innovators would be supported and mentored to become successful entrepreneurs at Incubation Centres.

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Foreign Policy Watch: India-Middle East

The South Asian-Gulf Migrant Crisis

| International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Indian Diaspora

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Not much

Mains level: Paper 2- Indian diaspora in the Gulf countries

The pandemic has exacerbated the plight of the migrant workers in the Gulf countries. This article examines the issue and suggests the ways to deal with it.

Context

The Covid-19 exposed the precarious conditions of migrant workers in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Employers have used the crisis as an opportunity to retrench masses of migrant labourers without paying them wages or allowances.

Impact of Covid-19

The South Asia-Gulf migration corridor is among the largest in the world.
The South Asian labour force forms the backbone of the Gulf economies.
The pandemic, the shutdown of companies, the tightening of borders, and the exploitative nature of the Kafala sponsorship system have all aggravated the miseries of South Asian migrant workers.
They have no safety net, social security protection, welfare mechanisms, or labour rights.
Now, thousands have returned home empty-handed from the host countries.
Indians constitute the largest segment of the South Asian workforce.
Gulf migration is predominantly a male-driven phenomenon.
A majority of the migrants are single men living in congested labour camps.
The COVID-19 spike in these labour camps has mainly been due to overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions.

Nationalisation of labour in Gulf

Now, the movement for nationalisation of labour and the anti-migrant sentiment has peaked in Gulf countries.
Countries like Oman and Saudi Arabia have provided subsidies to private companies to prevent native lay-offs.
However, the nationalisation process is not going to be smooth given the stigma attached to certain jobs and the influence of ‘royal sheikh culture’.

Challenges and solutions

The countries of origin are now faced with the challenge of rehabilitating, reintegrating, and resettling these migrant workers.
The Indian government has announced ‘SWADES’ for skill mapping of citizens returning from abroad.
But implementation seems uncertain.
Kerala, the largest beneficiary of international migration, has announced ‘Dream Kerala’ to utilise the multifaceted resources of the migrants.
Countries that are sending migrant workers abroad are caught between the promotion of migration, on the one hand, and the protection of migrant rights in increasingly hostile countries receiving migrants, on the other.

Way forward

The need of the hour is a comprehensive migration management system for countries that send workers as well as those that receive them.
No South Asian country except Sri Lanka has an adequate migration policy.

Conclusion

The pandemic has given us an opportunity to voice the rights of South Asian migrants and to bring the South Asia-Gulf migration corridor within the ambit of SAARC, the ILO, and UN conventions.

Original article:

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-south-asian-gulf-migrant-crisis/article32215146.ece

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Foreign Policy Watch: India-China

Russia-India-China: A triangle that is still relevant

op-ed snap | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: SCO

Mains level: Paper 2-India's relations with Russia and China

RIC engagement started on the promising note but the geopolitical changes over the last two decades have set the three countries on diverging paths. It is against this backdrop, the article articulates why RIC is still relevant.

Background of RIC

The RIC dialogue commenced in the early 2000s.
At that time the three countries were positioning themselves for a transition from a unipolar to a multipolar world order.
It was not an anti-U.S. construct though.
The initial years of the RIC dialogue coincided with an upswing in India’s relations with Russia and China.
The 2003 decision to bring a political approach to India-China boundary dispute and to develop other cooperation, encouraged a multi-sectoral surge in relations.
An agreement in 2005, identifying political parameters applicable in an eventual border settlement, implicitly recognised India’s interests in Arunachal Pradesh.

Growing India-U.S. relations

During the same period in which RIC dialogues took place, India’s relations with the U.S. surged.
This involved trade and investment, a landmark civil nuclear deal and a burgeoning defence relationship.
This rising relations with the U.S. met India’s objective of diversifying military acquisitions away from a near-total dependence on Russia.
The U.S. saw value in partnering with a democratic India in Asia as China was rapidly emerging as a challenger.

How India-U.S. relations affected RIC

China went back on the 2005 agreement.
It launched the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and worked to undermine India’s influence in its neighbourhood.
And expanded its military and economic presence in the Indian Ocean.
As U.S.-Russia relations imploded in 2014 after the annexation/accession of Crimea.
Russia’s pushback against the U.S. included cultivating the Taliban in Afghanistan and enlisting Pakistan’s support for it.
The western campaign to isolate Russia drove it into a much closer embrace of China.

Thus, the RIC claim of overlapping or similar approaches to key international issues, sounds hollow today. But it is still holds significance.

Why RIC is still significant for India

1) SCO

Central Asia is strategically located, bordering our turbulent neighbourhood.
Pakistan’s membership of SCO and the potential admission of Iran and Afghanistan heighten the significance of the SCO for India.
It is important for India to shape the Russia-China dynamics in this region, to the extent possible.
The Central Asian countries have signalled they would welcome such a dilution of the Russia-China duopoly.
The ongoing India-Iran-Russia is an important initiative for achieving an effective Indian presence in Central Asia, alongside Russia and China.

2) Significant bilateral relations

India’s defence and energy pillars of partnership with Russia remain strong.
Access to Russia’s abundant natural resources can enhance our materials security.
With China too, while the recent developments should accelerate our efforts to bridge the bilateral asymmetries, disengagement is not an option.

3) The Indo-Pacific issue

For India, it is a geographic space of economic and security importance, in which a cooperative order should prevent the dominance of any external power.
China sees our Indo-Pacific initiatives as part of a U.S.-led policy of containing China.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry sees the Indo-Pacific as an American ploy to draw India and Japan into a military alliance against China and Russia.
India should focus on economic links with the Russian Far East and the activation of a Chennai-Vladivostok maritime corridor.
This may help persuade Russia that its interests in the Pacific are compatible with our interest in diluting Chinese dominance in the Indo-Pacific.

4) Strategic autonomy of India

The current India-China stand-off has intensified calls for India to fast-track partnership with the U.S.
National security cannot be fully outsourced.
India’s quest for autonomy of action is based on its geographical realities, historical legacies and global ambitions.

Consider the question “The changing geopolitical landscape should not dampen the importance of India’s engagement in the RIC (Russia-India-China) triangle. Comment.”

Conclusion

India should continue its engagement in the RIC while keeping and protecting its interests.

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Important Judgements In News

The issue of powers of Speaker and Court

op-ed snap | Polity | Mains Paper 2: Executive & Judiciary

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: 10th Schedule

Mains level: Paper 2- Power of the Speaker/Chairman, Kohito Hollohan case

The article examines the larger issue of powers of the Speaker under 10th Schedule and the current interim order of the Rajasthan High Court.

Context

The Rajasthan High Court had admitted the petition by the Congress faction group challenging the notice of the Speaker.
In the interim order, the High Court had ordered to maintain the status quo.

Why Kihoto Hollohan Case matters

The Kihoto Hollohan decision of the Supreme Court delivered in 1992 forms the basis in such decisions.
The Constitution Bench which heard it was split 3:2.
The majority on the bench upheld the constitutionality of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
The High Court is not empowered to unsettle Kihota Hollohan and must apply its ratio that the Chairman/Speaker is the final arbiter on the disqualification of a member.
Rajasthan High Court has raised the issue about whether disqualification under Tenth Schedule is applicable in the case of “intra-party dissent”.
Para 2(1) a of 10th Schedule deals with disqualification of a member of a House belonging to any party “if he has voluntarily given up his membership of such political party”.

Let’s look at what the Supreme Court said in Kihoto Hollohan case:

“paragraph 2 of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution is valid. Its provisions do not suffer from the vice of subverting democratic rights of elected members of Parliament and the legislatures of the States. It does not violate their freedom of speech, freedom of vote and conscience as contended”.

Consider the question “Examine the issue of powers of Speaker/Chairman in the matters of disqualification of the member against the powers of the Courts in such matters. What are the reasons for frequent frictions between the two authorities on this matter?”

Conclusion

The high courts and the Supreme Court routinely refuse to interfere in matters where the concerned authority has merely issued a show-cause notice or granted an opportunity of being heard. So, it must fix the issue raised by the Rajasthan High Court interim order.

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Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code

What are Pre-packs under the present insolvency regime?

Explained | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Pre-Pack

Mains level: Asset reconstructions process under IBC

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has set up a committee to look into the possibility of including what is called “pre-packs” under the current insolvency regime to offer faster insolvency resolution.

Practice question for mains:

Q.What are the key features of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code? Discuss how operationalization of IBC is hindered by the slower resolutions of insolvency cases. Suggest measures for faster resolution.

What is Pre-pack?

A pre-pack is an agreement for the resolution of the debt of a distressed company through an agreement between secured creditors and investors instead of a public bidding process.
This system of insolvency proceedings has become an increasingly popular mechanism for insolvency resolution in the UK and Europe over the past decade.

Why need Pre-packs?

Slow progress in the resolution of distressed companies has been one of the key issues raised by creditors regarding the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) under the IBC.
Under the IBC, stakeholders are required to complete the CIRP within 330 days of the initiation of insolvency proceedings.

A case for India

In India’s case, such a system would likely require that financial creditors agree on terms with potential investors and seek approval of the resolution plan from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
This process would likely be completed much faster than the traditional CIRP which requires that the creditors of the distressed company allow for an open auction for qualified investors to bid for the distressed company.
The process needs to be completed within 90 days so that all stakeholders retain faith in the system and cases that take more than this time should be taken through the normal CIRP.

What are the other key benefits of a pre-pack?

Pre-packs would mostly be used for businesses that are running; the investors would likely need to maintain good relations with operational creditors.
In the case of pre-packs, the incumbent management retains control of the company until a final agreement is reached.
The transfer of control from the incumbent management to an insolvency professional as is the case in the CIRP leads to disruptions in the business and loss of some high-quality human resources and asset value.

Some limitations

The key drawback of a pre-packaged insolvency resolution is the reduced transparency compared to the CIRP.
Financial creditors would reach an agreement with a potential investor privately and not through an open bidding process.
This could lead to stakeholders such as operational creditors raising issues of fair treatment when financial creditors reach agreements to reduce the liabilities of the distressed company.

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Agricultural Sector and Marketing Reforms – eNAM, Model APMC Act, Eco Survey Reco, etc.

What is Green-Ag Project?

Schemes | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Major Crops & Cropping Patterns

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Green-Ag Project

Mains level: Sustainable agriculture and its significance

The Union government has launched the Green-Ag Project in Mizoram, to reduce emissions from agriculture and ensure sustainable agricultural practices.

Note the following things about Green-Ag Project:

1)Core objective

2)Implementing agencies

3)Regions of Implementation

Green-Ag Project

The Green-Ag project is designed to achieve multiple global environmental benefits in at least 1.8 million hectares (ha) of land in five landscapes, with mixed land-use systems.
It aims to bring at least 104,070 ha of farms under sustainable land and water management.
The project will also ensure 49 million Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) sequestered or reduced through sustainable land use and agricultural practices.

Implementing agencies

The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility, while the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation, and Farmers’ Welfare (DAC&FW) is the national executing agency.
Other key players involved in its implementation are the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Environment Ministry (MoEF&CC).

Regions of implementation

The project has been launched in high-conservation-value landscapes of five States namely

Madhya Pradesh: Chambal Landscape
Mizoram: Dampa Landscape
Odisha: Similipal Landscape
Rajasthan: Desert National Park Landscape
Uttarakhand: Corbett-Rajaji Landscape

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Water Management – Institutional Reforms, Conservation Efforts, etc.

Ammonia Pollution in Yamuna River

| Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Nitrogen pollution

Mains level: Preventing river pollution

For the second time in a week, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) had to reduce water production capacity by 25 per cent after high levels of ammonia were detected in the Yamuna River.

Try this PYQ from CSP 2019:

Q. Consider the following statements:

Agricultural soils release nitrogen oxides into the environment.

Cattle release ammonia into the environment.

Poultry industry releases reactive nitrogen compounds into the environment.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 2 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

What is Ammonia and what are its effects?

Ammonia is a colourless gas and is used as an industrial chemical in the production of fertilizers, plastics, synthetic fibres, dyes and other products.
Ammonia occurs naturally in the environment from the breakdown of organic waste matter, and may also find its way to ground and surface water sources through industrial effluents or through contamination by sewage.
If the concentration of ammonia in water is above 1 ppm it is toxic to fishes.
In humans, long term ingestion of water having ammonia levels of 1 ppm or above may cause damage to internal organs.

A cause of concern

The level of ammonia in raw Yamuna water was 1.8 parts per million (ppm).
The acceptable maximum limit of ammonia in drinking water, as per the Bureau of Indian Standards, is 0.5 ppm.

Where does Ammonia come from?

Ammonia is produced for commercial fertilizers and other industrial applications.
Natural sources of ammonia include the decomposition or breakdown of organic waste matter, gas exchange with the atmosphere, forest fires, animal and human waste, and nitrogen fixation processes.

How is it treated?

The DJB at present does not have any specific technology to treat ammonia.
The only solution it adapts is to reduce production at its water treatment plants.
In addition to this, the board mixes raw water that carries a high concentration of ammonia with a fresh supply.
The amount of chlorine added to disinfect raw water is also increased when high levels of ammonia are detected.

What is the long-term solution to the problem?

Stringent implementation of guidelines against dumping harmful waste into the river, and making sure untreated sewage does not enter the water are two things pollution control bodies are expected to do.
But, a more organic method agreed upon by environmentalists and experts is to maintain a sustainable minimum flow, called the ecological flow.
This is the minimum amount of water that should flow throughout the river at all times to sustain underwater and estuarine ecosystems and human livelihoods, and for self-regulation.
The lack of a minimum ecological flow also means an accumulation of other pollutants.

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Tiger Conservation Efforts – Project Tiger, etc.

Report of the All India Tiger Estimation 2020

DOMR | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Project Tiger

Mains level: Tiger conservation

India’s tiger population has reached a new high at 2,367.

Before reading this newscard, try these PYQs:

The term ‘M-STrIPES’ is sometimes seen in the news in the context of: (CSP 2017)

(a) Captive breeding of Wild Fauna

(b) Maintenance of Tiger Reserves

(c) Indigenous Satellite Navigation System

(d) Security of National Highways

Q.Consider the following protected areas: (CSP 2012)

Bandipur

Bhitarkanika

Manas

Sunderbans

Which of the above are declared Tiger Reserves?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1, 3 and 4 only

(c) 2, 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

All India Tiger Estimation

The tiger count is prepared after every four years by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) provides details on the number of tigers in the 18 tiger reign states with 50 tiger reserves.
However, this time, the census also included data collected from the rough terrains of north-eastern states which were not possible due to logistic constraints before.
The entire exercise spanned over four years is considered to be the world’s largest wildlife survey effort in terms of coverage and intensity of sampling.
Over 15, 000 cameras were installed at various strategic points to capture the movement of tigers. This was supported by extensive data collected by field personnel and satellite mapping.

Details of the report

India has 70% of the world’s tigers, says the report.
Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers at 526, closely followed by Karnataka (524) and Uttarakhand (442).
Chhattisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in tiger population and all other States saw a “positive” increase, according to a press statement.

Implementing CATS frameworks

India had embarked upon assessing management interventions through the globally developed Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) framework.
This framework will now be extended to all fifty tiger reserves across the country.

Back2Basics: Project Tiger

Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in April 1973 during PM Indira Gandhi’s tenure.
In 1970 India had only 1800 tigers and Project Tiger was launched in Jim Corbett National Park.
The project is administrated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
It aims at ensuring a viable population of Bengal tigers in their natural habitats, protecting them from extinction etc.
Under this project the govt. has set up a Tiger Protection Force to combat poachers and funded relocation of villagers to minimize human-tiger conflicts.

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Global Geological And Climatic Events

[pib] Tuting-Tidding Suture Zone (TTSZ)

PIB | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 1: Geographical Features & Their Location

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Underthrusting, TTSZ

Mains level: Himalayan Orogeny

Earthquake prone zones in India:

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Foreign Policy Watch: India-United States

Global coalition of democracies amid Chinese assertion

| International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Not much

Mains level: Paper 2- Global coalition of democracies

In the recent speed Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, floated the idea of an ‘alliance of democracies’. This article discusses its implications for India.

Two propositions on China

The US Secretary of State laid out two propositions.
One is that nearly five decades of US engagement with China have arrived at a dead-end.
Second is that the US can’t address the China challenge alone and called for collective action.
He mused on whether “it’s time for a new grouping of like-minded nations, a new alliance of democracies.”

How it matters for India?

Both the propositions signal the breakdown of the relationship between the world’s two most important powers.
They also reflect on the need to create new frameworks to cope with emerging global challenges.
China, is a large neighbour of India and America, is India’s most important partner makes the new context rather different from the Cold War.

Concerns for India in the propositions

Many in Delhi would like to know if the current direction of China policy will endure if Joe Biden wins the presidential election in November.
India must pay close attention to the unfolding China debate in the US.
India also note the structural changes in American engagement with China over the last two decades.
Delhi will certainly avoid calling the group proposed by US Secretary of State an “alliance”.
India would rather have it described as a “coalition of democracies”.

Idea of ‘Coalition of democracies’

Over the last many years, India has become comfortable with the idea of a political partnership with the world’s leading democracies.
India also supported past US initiatives like-Clinton Administrations “Community of Democracies”, Bush Administrations democracy promotion fund at the UN.
Delhi has also welcomed President Trump’s initiative to convene an expanded gathering of the G-7 leaders.
The idea of democracies working together has an enduring appeal for the US.
India figures in this American vision is relatively new. So is Delhi’s readiness to reciprocate.

Consider the question “In the ongoing geopolitical situation the U.S. has proposed the idea of ‘alliance of democracies’. Where does India feature in this vision and what are the implications of it for India.”

Conclusion

Constructing a global coalition of democracies will take much work and quite some time. But engaging with that initiative, amidst the rise and assertion of China, should open a whole range of new possibilities for Indian foreign and security policies.

Original article:

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/us-india-democracy-china-cold-war-global-economy-6526409/

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Food Procurement and Distribution – PDS & NFSA, Shanta Kumar Committee, FCI restructuring, Buffer stock, etc.

Nutrition security along with food security

| Economics | Mains Paper 3: PDS, Buffer Stock & Food Security

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Not much

Mains level: Paper 3- Food security and healthy diet

The “State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” was recently released.

About the report

It is published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other UN agencies including the WHO.

The report estimated that 820 million people worldwide did not have enough to eat in 2018, up from 811 million in the previous year.

At the same time, the number of overweight individuals and obesity continue to increase in all regions.

Highlights of the report

The number of people going hungry has risen for the third year running to more than 820 million. After decades of decline, food insecurity began to increase in 2015.

Africa and Asia account for more than nine out of ten of the world’s stunted children, at 39.5% and 54.9% respectively.

However at the same time, obesity and excess weight are both on the rise in all regions, with school-age children and adults affected particularly.

India scenario

The number of obese adults in India has risen by a fourth in four years, from 24.1 million in 2012 to 32.8 million in 2016.

While India’s undernourished population has dropped by roughly the same fraction in 12 years, from 253.9 million in 2004-06 to 194.4 million in 2016-18.

Compared with China

The report has a section on economic growth in China and India, and its effect on poverty.

Between 1990 and 2017, the two countries had an average GDP per capita growth rate of 8.6 per cent and 4.5 per cent respectively, the report said, citing World Bank.

In both countries, the increase in GDP per capita has been accompanied by poverty reduction.

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Indian foreign policy and decline in soft power in neighbourhood

op-ed snap | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Not much

Mains level: Paper 2- India's declining soft power in the neighbourhood

The article examines the issue of declining political capital in India’s neighbourhood and the factors responsible for this.

India’s standing in neighbourhood: Past

Not long ago, India was seen as a natural rising power in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region.
It was the de facto leader of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
It has historical and cultural ties with Nepal.
It enjoyed traditional goodwill and influence in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
It had made investments worth billions of dollars in Afghanistan and cultivated vibrant ties with the post-Taliban stakeholders in Kabul.
It had committed itself to multilateralism and the Central Asian connectivity project, with Iran being its gateway.
It was competing and cooperating with China at the same time.

India’s relations in with the neighbourhood: Present

India is perhaps facing its gravest national security crisis in 20 years, with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
SAARC is defunct.
Nepal has turned hostile having adopted a new map and revived border disputes with India.
Sri Lanka has tilted towards China.
Bangladesh is clearly miffed at the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.
When Afghanistan is undergoing a major transition, India is out of the multi-party talks.
Iran has inaugurated a railway link project connecting the Chabahar port, on the Gulf of Oman, to Zahedan.

What are the factors responsible for this?

When we dig deep, three problems can be found which are more or less linked to this decline.

1) Alignment with US

As India started moving away from non-alignment, there has been a steady erosion in India’s strategic autonomy.
India’s official policy is that it is committed to multilateralism.
When India started deepening its partnership with the United States, New Delhi began steadily aligning its policies with U.S. interests.
The case of Iran is the best example.
India’s deepening defence and military ties with the U.S. probably altered Beijing’s assessment of India.
One of the reasons for the shift could be Beijing’s assessment that India has already become a de facto ally of the U.S.
The forceful altering of the status quo on the border is a risky message as much to New Delhi as it is to Washington.

2) Domestic politics

The passing of the CAA is regionalisation of the domestic problems of the countries in India’s neighbourhood.
Bangladesh took offence at the CAA and the National Register of Citizens, there were anti-India protests even in Afghanistan.
CAA also drove new wedges between India and the countries that had a Muslim majority and were friendly to India in the neighbourhood.
The abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was another such move.
But it damaged India’s reputation as a responsible democratic power and gave propaganda weapons to Pakistan.
The change of status quo in Jammu and Kashmir, could be another factor that prompted the Chinese to move aggressively towards the border in Ladakh.

3) Misplaced confidence

Great powers wait to establish their standing before declaring that they have arrived.
China bided its time for four decades before it started taking on the mighty U.S.
India should learn from at least these modern examples.
If it did, it would not have used high-handedness in Nepal during the country’s constitutional crisis and caused a traditional and civilisational ally to turn hostile.
The updated political map which India released in November rubbed salt into the wound on the Nepal border.

Consider the question “India’s standing in its neighbourhood has been on the decline for some time now. Examine the factors responsible for this.”

Conclusion

To address the current crises, India has to reconsider its foreign policy trajectory. It does not lack resources to claim what is its due in global politics. What it lacks is strategic depth.

Original article:

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/needed-a-map-for-indias-foreign-policy/article32206877.ece

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Anti Defection Law

When can a Governor use his discretion, how has the SC ruled?

Explained | Polity | Mains Paper 2: Parliament & State Legislatures

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Governor’s Discretionary Powers

Mains level: State legislature issues

Rajasthan Governor returning the fresh proposal by the state Cabinet – seeking to convene a session of the Assembly has raised fresh legal questions on the powers of the Governor.

Try this question for mains:

Q. “Time and again, the courts have spoken out against the Governor acting in the capacity of an all-pervading super-constitutional authority.” Analyse.

Who has the powers to summon the House?

It is the Governor acting on the aid and advice of the cabinet.
Article 174 of the Constitution gives the Governor the power to summon from time to time “the House or each House of the Legislature of the State to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit…”
However, the phrase “as he thinks fit” is read as per Article 163 of the Constitution which says that the Governor acts on the aid and advice of the cabinet.
Article 163(1) essentially limits any discretionary power of the Governor only to cases where the Constitution expressly specifies that the Governor must act on his own and apply an independent mind.

What has the Supreme Court said in the past about the Governor’s power to summon the House?

It is settled law that the Governor cannot refuse the request of the Cabinet to call for a sitting of the House for legislative purposes or for the chief minister to prove his majority.
In fact, on numerous occasions, including in the 2016 Uttarakhand case, the court has clarified that when the majority of the ruling party is in question, a floor test must be conducted at the earliest available opportunity.
In 2016, the Supreme Court in Nabam Rebia and Bamang Felix vs Deputy Speaker expressly said that the power to summon the House is not solely vested in the Governor.

What did the SC say in the Arunachal case?

Referring to discussions in the Constituent Assembly, the court noted that the framers of the Constitution expressly and consciously left out vesting powers to summon or dissolve the House solely with the Governor.
It said that the powers of the Governor were substantially altered to indicate that the framers did not want to give Governors the discretion.
The Governor can summon, prorogue and dissolve the House, only on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers (CoM) with the Chief Minister as the head and not at his own, said the Court.

When can a Governor use his discretion?

Article 163(1) of the Constitution says that “there shall be a CoM with the CM at the head to aid and advice the Governor in the exercise of his functions, except some conditions for discretion.
However, in the 2016 case, the apex court has defined the circumstances if the aid and advice of CoM are binding on the Governor.
When the chief minister has lost the support of the House and his strength is debatable, then the Governor need not wait for the advice of the CoM to hold a floor test.

Novel situations are created these days

Generally, when doubts are cast on the chief minister that he has lost the majority, the opposition and the Governor would rally for a floor test.
The ruling party may attempt to stall the process to buy time and keep its flock together.
In a puzzling situation, in Rajasthan’s case, despite requests from CM, the Governor has returned requests to call for a session.
However, in the current case, the rebel MLAs have not defected from their party but have repeatedly stated before the Rajasthan HC that they are merely expressing their dissent within the party.

Back2Basics: Governor’s Discretionary Powers

The governor can use his/her discretionary powers:

When no party gets a clear majority, the governor has the discretion to choose a candidate for the chief minister who will put together a majority coalition as soon as possible.
He can impose president’s rule.
He submits reports on his own to the president or on the direction of the president regarding the affairs of the state.
He can withhold his assent to a bill and send it to the president for his approval.
During emergency rule per Article 353, he can override the advice of the council of ministers if specifically permitted by the president.

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International Space Agencies – Missions and Discoveries

What is Interplanetary Contamination?

| Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Interplanetary Contamination

Mains level: Interplanetary Contamination

As ambitious space missions are proliferating, along with advances in commercial space flight, astrobiologists have expressed concerns about possible ‘interplanetary contamination’.

A statements based question can be expected from the two types of interplanetary contamination.

What is Interplanetary Contamination?

Interplanetary contamination refers to biological contamination of a planetary body by a space probe or spacecraft, either deliberate or unintentional.
There are two types of interplanetary contamination:

Forward contamination is the transfer of life and other forms of contamination from Earth to another celestial body.
Back contamination is the introduction of extraterrestrial organisms and other forms of contamination into Earth’s biosphere. It also covers infection of humans and human habitats in space and on other celestial bodies by extraterrestrial organisms, if such habitats exist.

The main focus is on microbial life and on potentially invasive species.
Non-biological forms of contamination have also been considered, including contamination of sensitive deposits (such as lunar polar ice deposits) of scientific interest.

Are there any mechanisms to prevent such contaminations?

Current space missions are governed by the Outer Space Treaty and the COSPAR (Committee on Space Research) guidelines for planetary protection.
Forward contamination is prevented primarily by sterilizing the spacecraft.
According to NASA, the guidelines have had far-reaching implications on human spacecraft design, operational procedures, and overall mission structure.

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Forest Conservation Efforts – NFP, Western Ghats, etc.

Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA)

IOCR | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia,S&T - Applications In Everyday Life

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: GFRA

Mains level: Forest conservation in India

India has ranked third among the top 10 countries that have gained in forest areas in the last decade a/c to the latest Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA).

Possible prelim question:

Q.The Global Forest Resources Assessment Report recently seen in news is published by-

a) UN-FAO

b) UN Forum on Forests

c) International Union of Forest Research Organizations

d) None of these

India gains in forest cover

The top 10 countries that have recorded the maximum average annual net gains in a forest area during 2010-2020 are China, Australia, India, Chile, Vietnam, Turkey, the US, France, Italy and Romania.
India accounts for two per cent of total global forest area.
Globally, 12.5 million people were employed in the forestry sector. Out of this, India accounted for 6.23 million, or nearly 50 per cent.

Global prospects

The Asian continent reported the highest net gain in a forest area in 2010-2020, according to the report.
It recorded a 1.17 million hectares (ha) per year net increase in forests in the last decade.
However, the South Asia sub-region reported net forest losses during 1990-2020.
But, this decline would have been much higher without the net gain in India’s forest during this period, according to FRA 2020.

How did India gain?

The FRA 2020 has credited the government’s Joint Forest Management programme for the significant increase in community-managed forest areas in the Asian continent.
The forest area managed by local, tribal and indigenous communities in India increased from zero in 1990 to about 25 million ha in 2015, the assessment said.
India has been taking up massive afforestation and plantation schemes.

About Global Forest Resources Assessment

The Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) reports on the status and trends of the world’s forest resources.
It is led by the Forestry Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN.
It reports the extent of the world’s forest area as well as other variables, including land tenure and access rights, sustainable forest management (SFM), forest conservation, and sustainable use.

Back2Basics: Defining forests as per FRA

The definition excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems, such as fruit tree plantations, oil palm plantations, olive orchards, and agroforestry systems when crops are grown under tree cover.

The FAO definition of a forest includes:

land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees higher than 5 meters and a canopy cover of more than 10 per cent, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ
does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use

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Promoting Science and Technology – Missions,Policies & Schemes

[pib] Knowledge Resource Centre Network (KRCNet)

PIB | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: S&T - Applications In Everyday Life

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: KRCNet

Mains level: Not Much

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has planned to develop a World-Class Knowledge Resource Centre Network (KRCNet).

Note the salient features of the KRCNet. UPSC may puzzle you asking which of these is/are not a feature of KRCNet.

KRCNet Portal

KRCs will be connected with each other and integrated into the KRCNet portal.
It will be a single point entry to the intellectual world of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
The resources and services of the MoES system will be accessible 24X7 through a one-point dynamic, updated and integrated on this portal.

Salient features of the KRCNet:

Establish a Total Quality Management (TQM) system by securing ISO certification for documenting MoES knowledge resources, its maintenance, easy retrieval and dissemination.
Collect, collate, analyze, index, store and disseminate the intellectual resources, products and project outputs available in MoES headquarter and its institutes.
Develop and maintain an up-to-date meta-data of the print & digital resources available in MoES headquarter and MoES institutes, including MoES services.
Provide 24X7 accesses to the subscribed knowledge contents through the KRCNet portal.
Application of information-analytical tools & techniques like bibliometrics, scientometrics, big-data analytics, social media analytics etc., for policy formulation, report preparation and information dissemination.
Periodically organize training workshops to popularize the usage of electronic journals, databases, digital products, data analytics etc.

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